LIFE LINE WORK ORDER PROCESS
The following is the typical way that we process orders from start to finish.
1. The dealer meets with potential customer and determines what options the customer would like on a new unit or what items they wish to change from a previous Life Line unit.
2. The dealer will then send an e-mail to Steve Jacobson for any special pricing for options not covered in the quote writer program. NOTE: Any optional equipment that is not an option in quote writer MUST be priced by Life Line. This is because installation costs are as important as the item cost. As an example, if the list price for an item is $50.00 but if it takes 2 hours to wire and install that item, the option cost would be $320.00 as our shop rate is $135.00 an hr.
3. Once any special pricing is received, the dealer will then complete a preliminary quote in quote writer based on the customer’s wishes and the special pricing. NOTE: if you use the update and reprice option in quote writer for an existing quote from a previous order, it will not include anything that was added as a standard feature from the date of the previous order, or that was turned on a special. It is the dealer’s responsibility to make sure the quote that is written is up to date. It is the best practice to begin with a new quote each time. The update and reprice option in quote writer, is only effective if there are duplicate orders within a price revision quarter.
4. At this point, if a customer wants to see proposal drawings, submit the preliminary quote to Gail Miller ([email protected]) as a PDF for proposal drawings based on this preliminary quote. Lead time is 3-4 weeks. Note: The quality of the proposal drawings is directly related to the information in this preliminary quote. Details in the shop notes are very important as they tell engineering where a particular option is to be located / installed. Attention must be paid to model numbers and any special installation instructions.
5. The dealer will then meet again with the customer to evaluate the quote and proposal drawings. This is to make sure everything is the way the customer wants it. At this point, if there are any changes, the dealer must incorporate them into the preliminary quote. If necessary, send a separate list of the changes needed to the engineering department for a revised set of proposal drawings, do not send another quote writer file. This can also be a set of the first proposal drawings marked up with the changes needed. NOTE: any other revisions to the bid drawings after the second set will cost $500.00. If this bid turns into an order, the $500.00 will be credited toward the ordered unit. At this point the dealer is still responsible for the content of the quote writer quotation.
6. At this point, the customer should be ready to decide whether to purchase or not to purchase. If this becomes a purchase, make any necessary changes in the quotation so it reflects what Life Line needs to do to produce an ambulance that will meet what the customer wants. Careful attention now must be paid to the shop notes and making sure all special options are priced correctly and have the exact part / model numbers needed to obtain special equipment. An incomplete work order at this point leads to delays as production proceeds.
7. When the quote is ready, it is to be sent to Steve Jacobson as an order. At this point, Life Line becomes responsible for changes in the quotation (quote writer file) which now becomes a work order for production purposes. Also, once an order is submitted, there is a commitment on the part of the dealer for the chassis that will be assigned or ordered for this customer.
8. The order is reviewed by Steve Jacobson and turned over to the sales department for processing. A person in the sales department will then be assigned to the order and will follow it through to delivery to the dealer. Any questions or clarifications needed will be sent to the dealer to clean up any open issues found. If the dealer is sent a list of questions, they are to respond back with the answers only. DO NOT change your quote and submit a revised quote back to the person in charge of the order. The sales department is now responsible for making the changes to the work order (quote writer file). Once all issues are addressed, the work order is sent to engineering for production drawings. NOTE: Even if there were proposal drawings, the productions drawings will be based on the quotation submitted as an order.
9. Processing the work order and preparing the preliminary production drawing will be completed within 30 days after Life Line receives an order (with the exception of when Life Line receives multiple orders in a short amount of time, then the lead time will increase). The processed work order and preliminary drawings will be sent to the dealer as a FIRST or ORIGINAL DRAFT.
10. The dealer will then review the first draft work order and drawings with the customer for accuracy and content. If changes are needed, the dealer will send a list of the necessary changes to the person in the sales department handling the order. DO NO make changes to the work order sent as a first draft. The changes necessary will be made by the person assigned to the order. If there are changes that need to be made to the drawings they should be marked up and sent with the list of changes to be made to the order.
11. Changes will be sent to engineering and the dealer will receive a SECOND or COMPLETED DRAFT work order and drawings representing the necessary changes. This will continue until the dealer and customer are satisfied that everything is correct. It is rare to go beyond a third draft. In this process, the dealer is responsible for controlling the customers choices to what was in the initial order and should only have to make correction on the placement of options NOT coming up with a whole new list of options. If changes need to be made to the SECOND or COMPLETED DRAFT and or drawings then charges could apply which is spelled out in the 95-SP options of quote writer.
12. Once the order and drawings are correct, the dealer will sign the last page of the work order confirming the final price. The dealer will also initial/sign-off each of the drawings, certifying that they are accurate. The signed work order and drawings are then sent to the person in the sales department that is handling the order. It will be considered COMPLETED at this point.
13. If there are parts that either the dealer or the customer is providing, they MUST be on order and MUST arrive at Life Line at or around the time the order is released to production. If dealer or customer supplied parts have not arrived in time for production, they will NOT be installed. Any radio equipment to be installed MUST be marked by the dealer or customer for the installation location and and/or termination points. Life Line is not responsible to figure out where cables, control heads, etc. are to be installed. If equipment is not labelled, it will NOT be installed and will be sent back loose with the completed unit.
14. The order will be released to production once a chassis has been assigned to it. This can be an immediate step or can take some time depending if the chassis is on order and has not arrived at Life Line. This also applies for a chassis that is dealer or customer supplied. The criteria for releasing an order to production are: 1. Signed work order 2. Signed drawings and 3. The chassis for the order is at the Life Line facility. Upon release, the dealer will get a copy of the released production order and drawings for their records.
15. After an order is released, there is a Pre-Build meeting with the person in the sales department assigned to the order and the heads of the production departments. This is the first chance for the production department to review an order and make any necessary changes/clarifications that are needed from a production viewpoint. Any issues resulting from this pre-build meeting will be discussed as needed with the dealer. Any changes from this point on will be addressed as a CHANGE ORDER. There will be no changes made to the signed work order (quote writer file).
16. There are times when the dealer or customer may want to change what was in the order after the order has been signed off. This is costly and can cause major delays, especially the closer a vehicle gets to completion. Because of this, there are penalties involved. Initial fee to change an order that is already signed off is $200.00. The option price for any changes after the order is signed off is that option price plus 50%. If the change is requested after production has begun, the penalty is the option price plus 75%. If the change is requested after that part has been installed or production is complete, the penalty is the option price plus 100%. These are listed in the quote writer under 95-SP-XXXX.
17. There are also times during production that, when an item is being installed, there are problems with the descriptions that will need to be clarified. These will be discussed with the dealer as needed and the resolution will be reflected also with a change order. Since this type of change order involves clarifications, there are no penalties associated with them. In a perfect world, an order should be able to be produced with no change orders. Realistically, there will be changes/clarifications that are unforeseen until a particular option is installed. When this does happen, a timely answer is necessary to solve a problem and prevent delays in production. If an answer needs to come from a customer, it will be the dealer’s responsibility to obtain a quick answer from their customer.
18. Once an order has entered the paint process, the dealer will be notified of a completion date that the unit will be ready to be delivered. At this point, the dealer should make preparations to pay for and pick up the completed vehicle. All vehicles must be paid in full before leaving Life Line.
19. The completed vehicle will be in the delivery bay at the Life Line facility. The dealer is responsible to make sure the completed vehicle is constructed as per the work order prior to leaving the Life Line facility. This includes completed vehicles being trucked to the dealership.
20. Finally, there will be a happy customer serving their community with the best ambulance made in America and taken care of by the best dealer group anywhere!